The conventional physiology courses consist of theoretical lectures, clinical application seminars, numerical exercises, simulations, and laboratory practices. However, in subjects that involve relevant physical quantities, even students who successfully pass exams may be unable to realize the actual quantities involved. For example, students may…

Different tools have been used to facilitate the teaching and learning process in different areas of knowledge. Practical activities represent a form of teaching in which students not only listen to theoretical concepts but are also able to link theory and practice, and their importance in the biological sciences is notable. Sometimes, however,…

One of the most effective ways of engaging students of physiology and medicine is through laboratory demonstrations and case studies that combine 1) the use of equipment, 2) problem solving, 3) visual representations, and 4) manipulation and interpretation of data. Depending on the measurements made and the type of test, laboratory demonstrations…

Intestinal smooth muscle contracts rhythmically in the absence of nerve and hormonal stimulation because of the activity of pacemaker cells between and within the muscle layers. This means that the autonomic nervous system modifies rather than initiates intestinal contractions. The practical described here gives students an opportunity to observe…

Galen of Pergamon (130-200 A.D.) was an accomplished showman and scientist who made enormous advancements in the understanding of the heart, nervous system, and mechanics of breathing. These advancements were often achieved during impressive public "performances" of vivisection on Barbary apes and other living animals. These "shock…

In this article, a physiology instructor with primarily a cardiovascular (CV) background has wondered what approach to take, with both novice and senior learners, when it comes to delivering material on the pressure or flow generation of the heart. A debate surrounds the pressure propulsion versus flow generation theories, where some understand…

During underwater submersion, the body responds by conserving O[subscript 2] and prioritizing blood flow to the brain and heart. These physiological adjustments, which involve the nervous, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, are known as the diving response and provide an ideal example of integrative physiology. The diving reflex can be…

This laboratory exercise demonstrates fundamental principles of mammalian locomotion. It provides opportunities to interrogate aspects of locomotion from biomechanics to energetics to body size scaling. It has the added benefit of having results with robust signal to noise so that students will have success even if not "meticulous" in…

Although active learning works, promoting it in large undergraduate science classes is difficult. Here, three students (F. Naji, L. Salci, and G. Hoit) join their teacher (P. K. Rangachari) in describing one such attempt. Two cohorts in a first-year undergraduate biology course explored the molecular underpinnings of human misbehavior. Students…

Laplace's Law plays a major role in explanations of the wall tension of structures like blood vessels, the bladder, the uterus in pregnancy, bronchioles, eyeballs, and the behavior of aneurisms or the enlarged heart. The general relation of Laplace's law, expressing that the product of the radius of curvature (r) and pressure (P) is equal to wall…

This study examined the effect of different anatomic representations on student learning in a human anatomy class studying the muscular system. Specifically, we examined the efficacy of using dissected cats (with and without handouts) compared with clay sculpting of human structures. Ten undergraduate laboratory sections were assigned to three…

Learning styles may be classified according to the sensory modality that one most prefers to use when internalizing information. The four major sensory modalities are visual, aural or auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between preferred learning style, gender, and course scores in…

Perceived stress activates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, resulting in the release of glucocorticoids into the systemic circulation. Glucocorticoids cause the elevation of blood glucose, providing the necessary energy for the organism to cope with stress. Here, we outline a laboratory exercise that uses a competitive ELISA kit to…

An approach to teaching electrochemical driving force that helps students comprehend the forces that govern ion flux across biological membranes and sets the stage for more elaborate analysis of biochemical signals is presented. Background information and two sample problems and answers are included. (KR)

The results of actual student participation, with organized group discussions, which show that laboratory teaching remains the premiere mechanism for teaching and learning organ-system physiology are discussed. Laboratories using a pithed frog, a turtle heart, an anesthetized rabbit, and noninvasive recordings from students during exercise are…